Kiddushin, Daf Mem Tet, Part 3
תנו רבנן על מנת שאני קריינא כיון שקרא שלשה פסוקים בבית הכנסת הרי זו מקודשת ר’ יהודה אומר עד שיקרא ויתרגם
Our Rabbis taught: On condition that I am a reader (karyana), if he has read three verses [of the Torah] in the synagogue, she is betrothed. R. Judah said: He must be able to read and translate it.
For a man to be a Torah reader all he has to do is read three verses in the synagogue, the minimum number for an aliyah. R. Judah says he must also be able to translate into Aramaic.
יתרגם מדעתיה והתניא ר’ יהודה אומר המתרגם פסוק כצורתו הרי זה בדאי והמוסיף עליו הרי זה מחרף ומגדף אלא מאי תרגום תרגום דידן
Even if he translates it according to his own understanding!
But was it not taught: R. Judah said: If one translates a verse literally, he is a liar; if he adds to it, he is a blasphemer and a curser.
Rather what is meant by translation? Our [authorized] translation.
The Talmud clarifies that to translate does not mean to make up one s own translation. It means to recite the official translation sanctioned by the sages.
והני מילי דא"ל קריינ’ אבל אמר לה קרא אנא עד דקרי אורייתא נביאי וכתובי בדיוקא
These words apply if he said to her karyana. But if he says: I am a kara, he must be able to read the Torah, Prophets and Writings with precision.
Kara implies an expert in reading Scripture. Beyond that which is implied by the term karyana.
על מנת שאני שונה חזקיה אמר הלכות ור’ יוחנן אמר תורה
מיתיבי איזו היא משנה ר’ מאיר אומר הלכות ר’ יהודה אומר מדרש מאי תורה מדרש תורה
[If he says,] On condition that I [know how to] recite : Hizkiyah said: Halakhot. R. Yohanan said: Torah.
They raised an objection: What is considered mishnah ? R. Meir said: Halakhot. R. Yehudah said: Midrash.
What is meant by Torah? The Midrash of the Torah.
The word shoneh (or mishnah) which I have translated as recite always refers to reciting Oral Torah and not reading Written Torah. Therefore, when R. Yohanan says Torah he must mean midrash, which is exegesis of Torah. Thus we have here the two main forms of Oral Torah Midrash, which are laws connected to verses, and halakhot, laws taught independent of verses. The latter form is found today in midrashic collections that follow the order of four of the five books of the Torah (there is none on Genesis). The former is found in the Mishnah and Tosefta.
והני מילי דאמר לה תנינא אבל אמר לה תנא אנא עד דתני הילכתא ספרא וסיפרי ותוספתא
Now, that is only if he says to her [ on condition that I am] taneina but if he says to her, I am a tanna, he must have learned hilkheta, Sifra, Sifre and Tosefta.
Again, the Talmud clarifies two levels of qualifications. Taneina implies a low level of familiarity with oral Torah. Tanna implies a much higher level.
ע"מ שאני תלמיד אין אומרים כשמעון בן עזאי וכשמעון בן זומא אלא כל ששואלין אותו בכ"מ דבר אחד בלימודו ואומרו ואפילו במסכתא דכלה
On condition that I am a disciple [talmid], we do not say, such as Shimon b. Azzai and Shimon b. Zoma, but rather, one who when asked a single question on his studies in any place can answer it, even in the Tractate of the Kallah.
Modern talmudic historians interpret kallah here as referring to a gathering of sages that took place for two months out of the year in Babylonia. During this gathering they would learn one tractate. Thus this tractate was the freshest one on people s minds. But knowing something even from that particular tractate would qualify one to be a talmid.
על מנת שאני חכם אין אומרים כחכמי יבנה כר’ עקיבא וחביריו אלא כל ששואלים אותו דבר חכמה בכל מקום ואומרה
על מנת שאני גבור אין אומרים כאבנר בן נר וכיואב בן צרויה אלא כל שחביריו מתיראים ממנו מפני גבורתו
על מנת שאני עשיר אין אומרים כרבי אלעזר בן חרסום וכרבי אלעזר בן עזריה אלא כל שבני עירו מכבדים אותו מפני עושרו
על מנת שאני צדיק אפילו רשע גמור מקודשת שמא הרהר תשובה בדעתו
על מנת שאני רשע אפילו צדיק גמור מקודשת שמא הרהר דבר עבודת כוכבים בדעתו
On condition that I am a Sage, we do not say, like the sages of Yavneh or like R. Akiva and his companions, but one who can be asked a matter of wisdom in any place and he can answer it.
On condition that I am mighty, we do not say, [he must be] like Avner the son of Ner and Yoav son of Zeruiah, but as long as he is feared by his friends on account of his strength.
On condition that I am wealthy, we do not say, like R. Elazar b. Harsom and R. Elazar b. Azariah, but anyone whose fellow citizens honor him on account of his wealth.
On condition that I am righteous, even if he is absolutely wicked, she is betrothed, for he may have thought of repentance in his mind.
On condition that I am wicked, even if he is completely righteous, she is betrothed, for he may have thought of idolatry in his mind.
In all of these cases, we take the most minimal possible meaning of the word. We should note that this does not necessarily mean that one who, for instance, is able to answer one matter of wisdom is truly considered wise. Rather, the issue is that with betrothal, we need to err on the side of caution. If we consider her betrothed and she is not, the consequences are minimal. But if we consider her not betrothed and she is, and then she marries someone else, her kids are mamzerim.